 |  | May 10th News Bulletin Here’s what’s upcoming and what you may have missed at CMEP and in the news. | | | | Important news from CMEP and the US: | | | |  | Image: A Palestinian man watches smoke rise following Israeli strikes in the eastern part of Rafah on May 7. (Hatem Khaled/Reuters) | | | Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if it launches major invasion of Rafah CNN “President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday (May 8) he would halt some shipments of American weapons to Israel – which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza – if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah." | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: Christian pilgrims hold candles during the Holy Fire ceremony, a day before Easter, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, in Jerusalem’s Old City, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) | | | | | Jerusalem: Holy Fire Spread to the World Written by CMEP's Lauren Draper Word & Way “Christians in the Holy City of Jerusalem feel increasingly pressured by ever-shrinking permissions for worship and increased expulsion from the historic birthplace of our faith. Primarily Orthodox, Christians once made up more than 18 percent of the local population of historic Palestine when Israel was founded in 1948 — but now constitute less than two percent." | | | | | | | | | |  | Join a group of Churches for Middle East Peace's Regional Coordinators as they venture to Israel/Palestine in November 2024. This trip will highlight the spiritual significance of the Holy Land, the role local Christians play in the landscape of the region, meetings with religious and non-profit leaders in the region, and in-depth analysis and engagement with the current realities on the ground. This trip also includes attending CMEP's And Still We Rise Summit in Jericho. Join us this November 9-18th, 2024. Final week to join this group trip! | | | | For more information or questions about this trip, please email ana@cmep.org. | | |  | This Sunday: The Israeli-Palestinian Joint Memorial Day Ceremony is the largest Israeli-Palestinian peace event in history. Featuring presentations by Israeli and Palestinian artists and speakers, this year’s event will be broadcast on May 12, 2024. The Ceremony is organized by Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle–Families Forum, and Churches for Middle East Peace is proud to be a sponsor. Especially now, when the world seems so dark, the ceremony offers us hope to remember the sanctity of all life and a way to heal together. Register today and help build a better future based on peace, freedom, and dignity for all. | | | | | | | |  | Image: Some members of the CMEP Catholic Advisory Council outside the White House. Left to right: Michele Dunn of Franciscan Action Network; Julie Schumacher Cohen of Scranton University; Susanna Nchubiri of the Maryknoll Sisters; Kyle Cristofalo of CMEP; Susan Gunn of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; and Jordan Denari Duffner. | | | | | | | Prayers4Peace: Calling for Ceasefire Written by Jordan Denari Duffner, Member of CMEP’s Catholic Advisory Council; Originally published November 3, 2023. “On Thursday, Nov. 2, I joined dozens of Catholic leaders and peacemakers for a demonstration outside the White House in Washington, DC, to call on President Biden to support a ceasefire in Israel-Palestine, as well as other measures to foster a just peace. I spoke in my capacity as a member of the Catholic Advisory Council of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), which is tasked with helping inform U.S. Catholics about the history and present realities of the Holy Land, and to mobilize our Church to advocate for just policies consonant with our faith. Below are the remarks I delivered, and the video can be found here." | | | | | |  | Image: Our executive director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon and our And Still We Rise Coordinator Tamar Haddad at the First Reformed Church in Schenectady. | | | | | | | Pilgrimage to Peace Tour Updates: Last week, CMEP completed the final leg of our Pilgrimage to Peace speaking tour! In our final week, CMEP’s Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon and Destiny Magnett traveled with Jonathan Kuttab for events in four cities across North Carolina. After three weeks of travel, we are feeling grateful for all of the communities and partners who have welcomed us into their churches and homes for conversations about CMEP’s peacebuilding work. | | If you are interested in hosting CMEP staff at your church or community, contact us at info@cmep.org | | | | | |  | Image: Resurrection (Anastasis) Fresco - Chora Monastery (14th Century) | | | | | Statement of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America on the Conversion of the Monastery of Chora to a Mosque The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is a CMEP board denomination “So it is with a heavy heart that we received the news of the Turkish Government's official announcement of the re-conversion of the Monastery of Chora, a beacon of cultural heritage open to all, from a museum to a mosque, where the brilliant iconography is now covered for an alien purpose.” | | | | | | | | Contact Us Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
110 Maryland Ave NE, Suite 505
Washington, District of Columbia 20002
(202) 543-1222 info@cmep.org | | | | | | | |
